Our skilled surgeons were the first in the region to perform no-stitch or one-stitch cataract surgery. By using these innovative techniques, patients have a speedier recovery time, ensuring a quick return to their daily activities.

Our Specialties Include:

• Cataract surgery with lens implant
• One stitch and no-stitch cataract surgery

NEW! Baptist Eye Surgeons can implant both the AMO ReZoom and the Alcon ReSTOR accommodative lenses. Ask your doctor which is right for you.

What is a cataract?

A cataract is a clouding or opacity of the crystalline lens, or focusing element of the eye. This natural lens is situated just behind the pupil. With the help of the cornea, it focuses the light rays on the retina. Technically speaking, any opacity of the lens is a cataract but generally we only use the term when the clouding is sufficient to significantly reduce vision. 

Baptist Eye Surgeons were the first in the region to perform no-stitch or one-stitch cataract surgery. By using these innovative techniques, patients have a speedier recovery time, ensuring a quick return to their daily activities.

What are the symptoms?

Cataracts cause blurring and dimming of vision. They disperse light and cause glare, especially when out in the sun and around lights at night. Some people complain of a film over their eyes of glasses and try in vain to blink or rub it away.

As the natural lens becomes more cloudy it often swells causing a change in the optics which sometimes makes it possible to read without glasses. Patients with this “second sight” will find, however, that their distance vision will become more blurred and eventually their near vision will also dim.

How are cataracts diagnosed?

In order to determine the cause of blurred vision a complete eye examination is required, which includes examining the front part of the eye including the lens with a biomicroscope (often called a slit lamp) and the back part of the eye with an ophthalmoscope.

If you eye is otherwise healthy, modern cataract surgery can lead to improved vision in more than 95% of cases. That is not 100%, but still, the odds are definitely in your favor.

When should cataract surgery be scheduled?

Once a cataract starts to form, the visual impairment is progressive. Certain types of congenital cataracts tend to remain stable and are the exemption to this rule. There are many types of cataracts and we can tell you if your type is likely to progress slowly or rapidly.

Will I be hospitalized?

We do almost all of our cataract implant surgeries on an outpatient basis. One reason our patients do so well with outpatient surgery is that it demands no more change in their daily routine than is absolutely necessary.

What happens after surgery?

It usually takes several weeks for the eye to heal completely. During that time we will need to see you in the office for periodic follow-up visits.

Most patients are able to return to office-type work in a few days and to manual labor after one week.

More information

We encourage you to talk with your doctor about treatment for cataracts. For additional information, please see these helpful links: